This message “killed” iMessage on any iPhone [video]

Network users have discovered a serious vulnerability in the messenger iMessage. It has appeared, you can force a hang of the standard application to send SMS messages to any iPhone by sending a message with a special attachment.

1

In iOS there is a vulnerability through which an attacker can send to the device the victim a specially formed contact card in VCF format and kill the messenger. The “hole” security discovered by French security researcher under the name Vincedes3.

The problem is that the user is iMessage, when it receives a message with a special attachment, most likely will try to open it. As a result, the app will completely crash. The usual workarounds don’t help: trying to close iMessage from the multitasking drawer, and even rebooting the iPhone won’t bring him back to life.

2

The manual of the bug the developer has published on his blog. According to him, the vulnerability is present on all iOS versions starting from 9.0 to 10.2.1 beta 2.

To send attachments you need to download on your iPhone the file at this link: vincedes3.com/vincedes3.vcf . This contact card to your address book, you must save it in a standard iCloud Drive app. Then press the “Share” button in iCloud Drive, you should select user and confirm the iMessage sending a card to the person you want to cause trouble. The first time the app may not open, so it is worth repeating several times.

3

What causes the failure of iMessage, the developer is not told. However, this bug allows you to deliver serious inconvenience to the owners of the iPhone and iPad.

The solution of the problem with hanging iMessage exists, but the usual method can’t reach him. “Treatment” developed by the author of the vulnerability. In order to bring life back to iMessage, just open in Safari link vincedes3.com/save.html.